Globes weekend kicked off Friday night as stars — as well as champagne — poured inside the Moët Film Festival event at Poppy. The venue became a popular spot over the course of the weekend, with ICM Partners using the venue for an exclusive fete the following night.
Saturday had an easy start, beginning with an afternoon courtesy of BAFTA Los Angeles. The evening, however, had industry insiders doing “the party shuffle” — not on the dance floor, but hopping in and out of cars after trekking from the TCA Press Tour in Pasadena to West Hollywood parties hosted by ICM Partners and Showtime.
Moët Film Festival Party
Golden Globes weekend kicked off with — what else? — a champagne toast at Moët & Chandon’s third annual Friday night party, which attracted the likes of Billie Lourd and Laura Dern. Bubbly was flowing throughout the jam-packed soiree at West Hollywood’s new hotspot, Poppy, which had bars adorned in an abundance of gold goblets full of the awards ceremony’s official champagne.
BAFTA Los Angeles Awards Season Tea
The BAFTA Los Angeles tea party at the Four Seasons Los Angeles was a “selfie-free zone,” but that didn’t deter many fans, especially when Timothée Chalamet walked in.
Kieran Breen, chairman of the BAFTA Los Angeles board, said the rules were set so the talent could relax and enjoy themselves.
Kumail Nanjiani and his wife and writing partner, Emily V. Gordon, seemed to enjoy talking to other guests. They were just happy to be invited to the awards season party, they said. As for a sequel to their “The Big Sick,” Nanjiani said they had been busy promoting the current movie. “We missed Sundance [2018],” Gordon said. “Maybe next year.”
Carter Burwell, nominated for the score of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” said he was glad to fly out of the east coast blizzard to Los Angeles. “This weekend is a break from composing,” he said.
Taura Stinson, whose song “Mighty River” is nominated from “Mudbound,” gave thanks to Paris Hilton. Stinson had been her personal assistant before breaking out. “She is still a great friend and rooting me on.”
Lisa Bruce, producer of “The Darkest Hour,” said her darkest hour on the movie was “when we thought Gary [Oldman, the star] might not do it because he was rightfully taking the role very seriously. We delayed the movie so he could prepare for it and there was a moment where it was, ‘If he doesn’t do it, we’re probably not making this movie.’”
Golden Globe Foreign-Language Nominee Symposium
The directors of the nominated films in the best motion picture – foreign language category spoke candidly about their motivation for their respective films at the Saturday panel at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
For “First I Killed My Father” director Angelina Jolie, her oldest son Maddox played a major part in the filmmaking process. “I wanted him to know what most likely happened to his birth parents,” she said of the film, which takes place during the Cambodian genocide.
Sebastián Lelio, who directed Chile’s “A Fantastic Woman,” admitted to not knowing much about the transgender community before casting transgender actress Daniela Vega in the film’s lead role. “I was trying to get rid of my own ignorance,” he added. “It has expanded the idea of what identity and love can be.”
Fatih Akin, director of “In the Fade” from Germany/France, was also on the Saturday panel with Russia’s “Loveless” helmer Andrey Zvyaginstev, and Ruben Östlund, who directed “The Square” from Sweden/Germany/France.
ICM Partners’ The Evening Before the Golden Globes Party
The party was in full swing by 6:30 p.m. ICM Partners’ Chris Silbermann and Ted Chervin were surrounded by partygoers, while Alfre Woodard and BET’s Debra Lee stood in line for the buffet: kale salad, sliders, chicken tenders, and french fries.
Sony Pictures Classics’ Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, AMC’s Charlie Collier, and MGM’s Gary Barber made appearances. Talent such as Jeff Goldblum, Corey Hawkins, Marg Helgenberger, Catherine O’Hara, Glen Powell and Jason Ritter also navigated their way through the crowd. Additionally, “The Handmaid’s Tale” creator and showrunner Bruce Miller was on hand as the event also served as a special salute to the nominated Hulu series.
Edi Gathegi had to whisper in the ear of friend Russell Hornsby as the DJ spun ’80s hits like Michael Jackson’s “Do You Remember the Time” and The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.” The party went on well past its expected closing time as David Harbour and Sebastian Stan were still deep in conversation in a booth with ICM’s co-head of talent Adam Schweitzer after 8:30 p.m.
Sean Penn’s J/P Haiti Relief Organization Gala
Sean Penn‘s annual Haiti gala, held on the eve of the Golden Globes, raised money toward relief efforts. A-listers flocked for a good cause, with Brad Pitt bidding six figures during the silent auction to watch an episode of “Game of Thrones” with star Emilia Clarke, and Leonardo DiCaprio offering $80,000 for artwork, before he was honored for his work combating climate change.
“The biggest challenge now is to make sure that everyone understands what’s at stake,” DiCaprio said of the dangers of climate change during his speech onstage at the gala. Referring to President Donald Trump, DiCaprio continued, “But how can we do this when we have a president who, just this week, proposed a massive increase in offshore drilling?” Garnering laughter from the room, DiCaprio quipped, “Their denial of so much of the scientific proof and evidence belongs in ‘the Earth is flat’ chapter of human history.”
Showtime Golden Globe Nominees Celebration
Showtime CEO David Nevins and Gary Levine, president of programming, were popular throughout the night, and rightfully so, as they celebrated their Golden Globe nominees including William H. Macy, Kyle MacLachlan, Frankie Shaw, and Liev Schreiber. Nevins gave a birthday toast to Julie Chen, who was on hand with husband CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves, who were making the rounds before heading out to a birthday dinner. Also on the scene were the cast of “Billions,” including stars Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti, Stephen Colbert, Lena Waithe, Paula Malcomson, Jason Mitchell, and Malin Akerman.